Star Wars with occasional sarcasm

Marvel tries for ‘female product,’ kinda fails

This would actually be kind of hilarious if it wasn’t rather sad… Marvel has apparently decided that the trick to getting girls to buy their merchandise are… Chibis and cosmetics. And yes, they actually use the term ‘female product.’ Seriously!

“Since our core customer has always been guys, we need to be very careful when we introduce female product so that we don’t alienate our core,” said Paul Gitter, president of consumer products, North America, for Marvel Entertainment Inc. “What we have found through testing is that we haven’t alienated them, which gives us the OK to move forward with female product.”

Points for trying, I guess, but isn’t there some kind of middle road here? Do they really have to go over to the hearts-and-pink-things side – or define ‘female’ as ‘preteen’ – to get women to buy merchandise? (Via Maggiesox, who has her rant on.)

Oh, Marvel. I know it’s hard to imagine, but there are women and girls out there who like superheroes. Yes, even the male ones. So, instead of making “female product”, why not just make product in women and girls sizes and styles? That way, we won’t have to shop for PJ’s and T-shirts in the boys and mens sections.

I love Marvel superheros in a big, serious way. But I really loathe the way Marvel is handling them these days. All in the name of their “boy” fanbase. Because, you know, boys can’t handle married heroes. Or girls who like superhero stuff that isn’t GIRLY. ::sigh::

“Female Products” just sounds like a bad euphemism for tampons. So, how long until I get to see “Hulk”-sized tampons at the grocery store? (I bet the super “snazzy” ones would be named after Iron Man…)